Firms now seem to place massive importance on fuel saving compared to years ago.From my experience,the old hauliers would take fuel cosumption into account when deciding which lorry to buy,and also avoid empty running etc to save fuel.
They only seamed to bring the driver into the equasion to say something like " you run 40 mile out of the way on my diesel ,just to get your leg over,again and your down the road lad".
I can see even a very small increase in MPG with a large number of lorries doing large mileages that at the end of the year there is a big saving to be had. The old hauliers were not famous for chucking their money away,just wondered why so much pressure on todays drivers?
We seem to have drivers worrying if they have been at the lights for 2mins.,and maybe I should have shut the engine off? One poster is even asking “can I save fuel by driving up somebodys arse”.
What was wrong with driving the lorry with a bit of mechanical respect and not revving the arse out of it,and not taking the mickey with “unauthorised” mileage?
Regards John.
What makes me laugh, is hauliers put pressure on drivers to save a couple of gallons of fuel and yet seem perfectly happy to ‘lose their truck’ in a RDC on an almost daily basis for hours on end?
It is an obsession with most mobs these days. Not got a problem with trying to save a bit of fuel, but it cracks me up when they go to all these lengths to ensure we drive as economically as possible. They even spend fortunes fitting telematic systems to make sure we comply when the real problem is normally caused by ■■■■ poor planning from the transport office.
They never get pulled up for their mistakes, yet we let it slip out of the green band for 2 seconds and we are accused of costing the company X amount of money on wasted fuel.:evil:
Iam not exactly fuel conscious i have a V6 car 3.0l ,a 5 cylinder sprinter ,a 14 litre classic unit,and a ■■■■■■■ m11 lorry although the m11s are pretty good on fuel for saying they’ve been out 19 years ish and still as good as modern stuff , I actually wanted a N14 525 but couldn’t find one .
Dan Punchard:
Iam not exactly fuel conscious i have a V6 car 3.0l ,a 5 cylinder sprinter ,a 14 litre classic unit,and a ■■■■■■■ m11 lorry although the m11s are pretty good on fuel for saying they’ve been out 19 years ish and still as good as modern stuff , I actually wanted a N14 525 but couldn’t find one .
Keep looking Dan 
damoq:
It is an obsession with most mobs these days. Not got a problem with trying to save a bit of fuel, but it cracks me up when they go to all these lengths to ensure we drive as economically as possible. They even spend fortunes fitting telematic systems to make sure we comply when the real problem is normally caused by ■■■■ poor planning from the transport office.
Christ sounds like our company, they’ll have you running empty all over the place but as long as the fuel returns are good then that’s ok.
Different story over here I know, but I get better MPG than most here because I still find myself driving the European way, I also try to avoid running the engine 24/7 for the sake of heating or A/C, I use the load to push me along when I can.
On the car front it’s a different tale again, our 8 seat Honda Pilot only averages 19 MPG, our Jeep Wrangler does about 14 MPG if we drive it conservatively.
LIBERTY_GUY:
What makes me laugh, is hauliers put pressure on drivers to save a couple of gallons of fuel and yet seem perfectly happy to ‘lose their truck’ in a RDC on an almost daily basis for hours on end?
Another good one is getting a driver to pick up a backload from somewhere were another truck is near and then the other truck going for a back load from near where the other truck came from. Like I once got sent from Catrine to our other yard in Methill for a stock transfer while another driver who had tipped in Broxburn had to go up to Fergusons coal in Largs 
we passed each other on the M8 near Bellshill and were both bemused when we were talking to each other and found out what jobs we were doing and where we both had come from.
Mind you us being drivers what do we know to help reduce unnecessary fuel usage?
old 67:
One poster is even asking “can I save fuel by driving up somebodys arse”.
I wouldn’t worry about him. 
Not everybody on TruckNet actually drives a lorry.
I save fuel as much as possible.
Why would’nt I want to help limit
the use of a fossil fuel?
Helps with the Karma. 
bald bloke:
damoq:
It is an obsession with most mobs these days. Not got a problem with trying to save a bit of fuel, but it cracks me up when they go to all these lengths to ensure we drive as economically as possible. They even spend fortunes fitting telematic systems to make sure we comply when the real problem is normally caused by ■■■■ poor planning from the transport office.Christ sounds like our company, they’ll have you running empty all over the place but as long as the fuel returns are good then that’s ok.
Same here m8
I know of a firm who monitor fuel figures and driving style daily and discipline the driver for not being good enough.
Also at the same firm driver hours rules get swept under the carpet.
I’m all for saving a bit of fuel but it is becoming an obsession for many firms
Got to pay for those fast breeding manager’s managers somehow.
yorkshire terrier:
I know of a firm who monitor fuel figures and driving style daily and discipline the driver for not being good enough.
Also at the same firm driver hours rules get swept under the carpet.
I’m all for saving a bit of fuel but it is becoming an obsession for many firms
Why didn’t you just say DOWNTONS, terrier, instead of being all secretive?
Left hand down!:
yorkshire terrier:
I know of a firm who monitor fuel figures and driving style daily and discipline the driver for not being good enough.
Also at the same firm driver hours rules get swept under the carpet.
I’m all for saving a bit of fuel but it is becoming an obsession for many firmsWhy didn’t you just say DOWNTONS, terrier, instead of being all secretive?
I don’t mean them 
Seriously though I think my gaffer has got the right idea about fuel economy,he says don’t drive like an idiot and I’m happy.
How does one driver on a stop-start run off-motorway get to beat a depot-depot motorway driver for fuel consumption figures? 
Given fuel is the biggest bill the haulier has and is one that can vary by more than 20% for the same load on the same run depending on who is doing the driving then it makes sense to try and reduce it as much as possible.
I recently drove a Merc 7.5T for a couple of weeks and did an mpg check that came out at 20.06. When I told the TM he said “Is that good for a lorry?”
So not all firms are overkeen…
With so many companies offering incentives like fuel bonuses it is becoming the ‘trendy’ thing but how can it be fair? Driver 1 is doing lots of heavy loads on A roads and driver 2 is light or empty on the M1 night trunking. Who is getting the best fuel figures and who is making the company more money?
Driver 2 might be slightly better at fuel efficiency but is constantly screwing the tyres in yards.
There are too many variables to make it a fair system.
Then you might spend a month improving fuel figures only for some stuffed shirt in management or sales to blow it all on a meal and a hotel when he could have made it home.
Fact is we all have been saving our company money for years in the way of pay freezes or reductions because wages is one of the few areas they have control over.
Does anyone here think their company has a fair system they would like to share?
Winseer:
How does one driver on a stop-start run off-motorway get to beat a depot-depot motorway driver for fuel consumption figures?
By chucking in 50 quid of fuel each week out his own pocket maybe